


a well-meaning hell

by ToastyBagel



Series: the toastybagel microphone au™️ 𝑏𝑦 𝑡𝑜𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑦𝑏𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑙 [1]
Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Fluff, Gaslighting, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sex, M/M, phone guy is named scott, purplephone is mentioned but never actually happens, william afton and vincent are different ppl
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 19:42:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28943892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToastyBagel/pseuds/ToastyBagel
Summary: Every day, Michael Afton stands on the sidelines, observing his coworkers and customers, but never intervening unless absolutely necessary. When he finds himself working alongside William’s new intern, however, his view of the hellish job changes...What will he do with these conflicting feelings?
Relationships: Michael Afton/Phone Guy, Phone Guy/Mike Schmidt (Five Nights at Freddy's)
Series: the toastybagel microphone au™️ 𝑏𝑦 𝑡𝑜𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑦𝑏𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑙 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2124927
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	a well-meaning hell

**Author's Note:**

> heyyyyyy!!!!!!
> 
> so i kinda also like microphone and wanted to write this cute lil oneshot. i think it turned out pretty good so i hope u like it!
> 
> btw, i featured the tape girl from fnaf vr in part of this fic and I chose to name her Sara, just in case ur confused abt that

Michael Afton regretted skipping college with all of his being.

Day after day, he stood by the wall of the pizzeria, watching his father- William Afton- walk around in that stupid, old rabbit suit that probably violated a dozen OSHA guidelines. He noticed the kids who followed the suit around like their life depended on it and he hoped, for once, that nothing bad would happen to the kids who the suit seemed to be following; in other words,  _ stalking _ .

Michael certainly didn’t miss when his father shoved his new intern aside and appeared to hiss something vile at him, though they couldn’t be heard from across the dining room. When he caught a glimpse of the boy’s eyes, he noticed them becoming dimmer every single day.  _ Hey, _ he couldn’t help thinking,  _ at least I’m not that guy _ .

Oddly enough, Michael seemed to be the only employee in the place who hadn’t been affected by the shady business practices. 

“Hey, Mike- I was wondering if you could help out in the arcade for a couple hours. It’s kinda hectic…” Jeremy seemed to have the worst luck out of all of them. Just a few years earlier, he was bitten by an animatronic that he was doing maintenance on. As expected, William simply swept that incident under the rug.

“Why can’t Fritz do it?” Michael asked, a hint of indignance in his tone. 

Fritz had a very different backstory from Jeremy, despite the two being so close. He had actually graduated with a degree before getting hired at the pizzeria to repair the various electronics in the building. He tended to work long hours, though, and was never provided the proper equipment to work safely. 

_ “It’s fine, really,” he said the first time he had been asked why he was still working at the pizzeria, “This is just for work experience. After a few years, I’ll be able to get out of this hellhole and get myself a real job in maintenance.” _

It was obvious that he had started preparing to quit by the time Michael was hired.

“Fritz is busy repairing the motion tracking systems on the robots-” Why the animatronics needed those systems was beyond any of them. “Sara’s been cleaning the equipment all day, who knows where Vincent is, and William hasn’t let Scott leave his side all day.”

Sara  _ used _ to have Michael’s job as a dining room supervisor. Now, she was stuck rushing through the pizzeria, doing whatever she was asked. Although she claimed to not mind that William shoved her aside so that his son could have her position, she wanted to quit. The only problem was that she couldn’t get a better job anywhere else.

Next, there was Vincent, the security guard who was proven- by blood- to be William’s nephew and Michael’s cousin. When they stood side by side, there was nothing that they visibly shared. They thought and acted as if they were strangers, and Michael liked to keep their relationship as such. With Vincent’s almost crude sense of humor and mysterious past, Michael was better off not being associated with him at all.

Then came the last name that Jeremy mentioned.

“Scott? Who’s that?”

“Oh-” Jeremy pointed across the room to where Michael had been looking previously. “He’s the new intern. I got a chance to meet him this morning. He’s actually really nice. I’m surprised he chose this place, especially after meeting our boss.” After a glance toward Michael, Jeremy continued. “You know, I don’t believe what people have been saying about him. He’s definitely not the type of person who would...well…” Jeremy always beat around the bush when it came to subjects like the rumors that had spread.

It began when William got just a bit too close to Scott one day and a nearby waiter told the kitchen staff all about it.

The original words,  _ “I wouldn’t be surprised if they had an affair at some point,” _ quickly turned to,  _ “Scott slept with William to get the internship,”  _ like they were playing a game of telephone. Some said it was immature to think that way and that nothing was going on; most believed the words to be true.

Michael didn’t stand on either side of the issue and, quite honestly, didn’t care. Scott may not have been the brightest, but he could hear. Enough damage had already been done.

Across the dining room, Scott had just timidly read something off of the clipboard he was holding before William dragged him into the hallway. Michael couldn’t feel any empathy toward the situation, only humming before turning on his heel.

“Alright. I guess I can help out in the arcade.”

***********

“I wish you wouldn’t skip out on work, Michael.” William stood over his shoulder condescendingly despite being slightly shorter than his son. “I thought I taught you better than that. I was nice enough to give you a stable job when you finished school. The least you can do is be grateful for it.”

Michael looked up from the arcade cabinet, scanning the walls to see if anything in the room had changed since he last checked.

“Thanks...I guess…” He shrugged, but William only glared back at him. “It’s so boring, though, just watching everything. Nothing ever happens that’s worth me getting involved.”

“Oh, really…” William couldn’t help but smirk as his eyes flickered almost devilishly. “Office, then.” He ordered, pointing in the general direction of his office, which Michael was usually told never to enter. “On the desk are a few yellow folders. Pick whichever one you want; all I care is that you finish whatever’s in it.”

“But-“

“You can either do that or stand in here with the screaming children all day. Your choice.”

William left immediately after that, and Michael got the hint. While it wasn’t right for his father to pile work onto him that he didn’t quite understand, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to try his hand at filling out a spreadsheet or something.

So he made his way to the office, noticing that Vincent had just left by the time he got to the door.

“What, did your daddy send you back here to stop me? It’s too late; I’m already off the clock.” Vincent lit the cigarette that was pinched between two of his fingers, heading for the back of the building.

“No.” Michael grimaced. “I’m here to do paperwork. Why would I need to stop you?” He asked, though he wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

“Boss wants me to work overtime this weekend, but I told him there was no way in hell I was doing that, so I’m going home. I, uhh,  _ persuaded _ our little intern in there to let me use the computer to clock out.” After taking a long drag, Vincent let the smoke pour from his lips as he chuckled. “He’s cute. I hope he doesn’t end up like the last kid.”

Taken aback, Michael hesitated before he began to respond. “What-”

“Well,” Vincent interrupted, waving to Michael with his free hand. “I’m gonna get out of here before your dad finds me and has me fired. See ya tomorrow.”

Michael didn’t bother responding that time, only nodding hesitantly as Vincent pushed through the rusty door of the fire exit, which had been disarmed for longer than either of them had worked there. 

Rolling his eyes, he carelessly shoved the office door aside. Scott was at the desk, obviously still a bit shaken up by whatever Vincent had said or done to him earlier. When the doorknob hit the rubber stopper on the wall, he reflexively flinched.

Then he noticed Michael standing in the doorway.

The seconds that followed became increasingly more awkward as Michael approached the desk, throwing his uniform hat onto the windowsill. Scott only stared at him like a deer in headlights before softly clearing his throat and looking back at the papers he was working on.

“Sorry- It’s just-” Scott glanced at the open office door before looking back at Michael. “I thought you were William at first…”

“Oh…” Michael gently picked up one of the folders on the edge of the desk. “Yeah, I get that a lot. He’s my father.”

“Did- Did he send you here, or-”

“Yeah. Told me to fill out whatever’s in these folders. I leave in, like, an hour, anyway.” Michael looked over the first page in the folder before noticing Scott gently tapping his pen against the desk. “Why do you ask?” Michael added in an attempt to clear the tension.

“Well- he told me to work in the security office, but I was getting kinda claustrophobic in there...and Vincent kept bugging me...so I came in here to work. I’m kinda scared that William won’t be okay with it when he finds out, or that he already knows and he’s just waiting to talk to me about it until everyone leaves… He freaks me out sometimes…” Scott watched Michael nod in agreement as a small smile graced his lips. “Don’t tell him I said that,” he added jokingly.

Michael cleared the sofa against the office wall, lounging across it while he chipped away at his father’s responsibilities. Knowing that Scott, too, was also doing William’s job didn’t sit right with him. Of course, he didn’t say anything about it. They had both figured it out by then.

“So...Michael, right?” Scott asked, breaking the silence. “Sorry, I completely forgot to ask earlier.”

“Yeah, and you’re Scott?” 

“That’s my name. I’m pretty sure everyone knows it by now,” he replied with a slight tremble in his tone. “Some people talk too much,” he mumbled softly.

“Does my father talk about me a lot?” Michael was eager to change the subject.

“Well,” Scott said, his brows slightly furrowed. “I wouldn’t say  _ a lot _ , but he’s told me about you- All good things, I swear!”

“I guess that’s good. I get the impression he doesn’t really like me, but I don’t mind.”

“I’m sure he likes you; you’re his son. He can be tough to get to, but he has a soft side…” 

Michael sighed as he smiled listlessly toward the ceiling. “Yeah, right. I won’t believe it until I see it.”

They sat in silence once again before a soft tapping echoed against the brick walls once again. It continued until Michael shifted in his seat and Scott broke out of what seemed to be a sort of trance.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize-” Scott gently dropped the pen he had been tapping on the desk.

“It’s fine, really.” Michael set his folder on the floor after he’d become sufficiently frustrated with the tasks inside. He didn’t exactly want to leave, though. “Want any help with that?” He asked Scott, gesturing toward the scattered papers.

“Oh- uhh-” Scott smiled nervously, his cheeks turning to a rosey pink as he quickly stacked the papers back into the folder. “Thanks, but I’m going on break soon. I’m almost done, anyway…”

“What are those for?”

“Nothing, just- uhh-” Scott shoved the folder into a drawer. “It’s just some legal stuff. We’ve- uhh- run into a lot of copyright issues lately.” He wrung his hands together, staring up at Michael, who was very conflicted. 

“That’s...cool. Mine was just full of invoices. I guess we really do spend a lot of money to keep this place running.”

Scott laughed shakily as Michael stepped toward the door, his hand resting on the knob.

“I’m gonna get a drink or something. If I don’t see you again toda-”

“Michael- Wait,” Scott said quickly just before Michael could open the door to the office. “Could- Could you meet me here again tomorrow? If it’s out of your way, you don’t have to, but it was really nice to have some company.”

“Alright, then. I’ll be here at two.” Michael was about to leave, again, before he had one more realization. “What about my father?”

“William…” Scott’s gaze fell. “He means well.” He paused. “I’ll talk to him.”

Then, as the door closed with a soft click, Scott was left alone in the office once again…

...with no one but the camera perched in the corner of the room.

**************

Most of the places at their dining room table had been empty for nearly five years to that day.

Most of the Afton family was dead. That was a burden that William and Michael couldn’t escape no matter how they tried.

They wanted to invite Scott to their table one evening, but Vincent had already pulled him into the security office to ask him on a date.

“He asked me again last night over the phone,” Scott muttered from behind the creaky, old table in the storage room where they had been banished after the first day they worked together. 

“Well?” Michael responded. “What did you say?”

Scott sighed with a smile across his lips. “I said yes. He may have run out of new places to take me, but he’s not  _ terrible _ to hang out with.”

Michael couldn’t help but laugh softly at the thought of Vincent actually cleaning up his act enough to go on a date. “Scott, I’m pretty sure you’re the only person here who’s actually warmed up to Vincent.”

“Hey,” he playfully shot back. “I don’t regret giving him a chance. He’s really not as bad as he makes himself out to be. If we knew each other better, I honestly wouldn’t mind a relationship with Vincent.”

“You wouldn’t?”

“Not at all.”

“Well-” Michael hesitated, but only for a second. After all, it was now or never; they had already known each other for a few months. “What if I asked you on a date?”

Scott froze, his gaze not leaving a specific patch of rust on the table. “A- Like- A  _ date  _ date? Like...where would we go?”

“I don’t know, maybe a picnic? There’s a park near my neighborhood that’s really nice this time of year.”

“Oh- uhh-” Scott had to admit, he found Michael to be  _ very _ attractive. Even talk of a date with him had Scott’s heart racing. Unfortunately, he wasn’t good under pressure. “Grass- it’s- it’s itchy,” he stammered, mentally slapping himself for it.

“I mean, if you don’t want to…” Michael continued to look at Scott, who only resisted eye contact. “I don’t want to ruin our friendship or anything…”

“I feel the same way…”

Scott didn’t move a muscle after responding, listening closely to Michael’s footsteps as the chair he was in scraped across the floor.

With a newfound sense of panic and a desire to make things right, Scott leapt from his seat and followed Michael to the door with an odd feeling of deja vu.

“Wait- I- what I said didn't come out right. I’m so sorry. I’d love to go out with you.” Scott stared up at Michael, smiling warmly. 

“You- You would? Are you sure?”

“Of course. I’ve always liked you,” Scott gently intertwined their fingers as they gazed into each other’s eyes for the first time since they met.

“What about…” Michael’s small smile faltered. “What about my father? What will he say about this?”

“Michael...I should have told you earlier.” Focusing on their intertwined fingers, Scott took a long breath. “My internship ends on friday. I’m not really planning on getting a job here again since I’m going back to a normal class schedule… I’m sorry if this changes your mind about anything.”

“I-” Michael muttered, squeezing Scott’s hand tighter between his fingers. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything. I’m at the community college, so we can still be in a relationship and stuff. We just won’t get to spend as much time together since I won’t be... _ here _ …” 

“It’s a date, then.” As soon as they were both smiling again, Michael wrapped his arms around Scott, who didn’t hesitate to do the same. “I’ll really miss seeing you around, Scott.”

“Hey, don’t say your goodbyes yet, I still have a few more days left.”

They held onto each other until time stopped. 

When it was time for Michael to leave for the day, he was still backstage, his arm around Scott as they finished the paperwork Michael had been given that day. 

The yellow folder closed with a click that echoed through the concrete room.

“Michael…” Scott gently plucked the hand from his shoulder, holding it tightly. “Go home.”

“I wish you would let me help you close the place down,” he replied, as he had many times in the few months they had known each other. 

“You know we couldn’t get away with that. William would send you home, too. We’re both working the same shifts tomorrow, though.” Once they had both stood, though, Scott laid a gentle hand on Michael’s chest. “Until then,” he whispered, trailing off with a soft breath.

Though he knew what to expect, he was still shocked when Scott leaned into him, pressing their lips together. 

The kiss was over as quickly as it began.

“Hey-” Michael idly pressed his lips together, watching Scott walk away with paperwork in his arms as if nothing had happened. He was at a loss for words, simply muttering, “Come back. Do that again.”

Scott stopped in the doorway, looking as happy as Michael had ever seen him. “Meet me here tomorrow and you’ll get another one.”

As soon as Michael nodded in reply, Scott was gone.

More than ever, he couldn’t wait to return to the pizzeria the next day.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! if you liked this, pls go check out my other fics and follow my socials! i do want to write more microphone in the future, and i post frequent writing updates on twitter and tumblr.
> 
> As always, i hope you have a great day, or night, or whenever ur reading this!


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